A Fifth For Luck
by K. Fang-sama
Summary: Coming home to Veilstone, Paul meets an interesting girl, and ends up traveling with her. But when her past catches up to her, what kind of adventure did he get himself into? PaulxOC
1. Prologue

"A Fifth For Luck:  
>Prologue"<p>

**- Lake Valor**

Ah, the majestic serenity; something that can always be found when one stops to look at the environment, and gasp in its beauty; to breathe in its fresh air; to relax; and to just enjoy the quiet. With the spring here, and not a single cloud in the sky, anyone-almost everyone-would want to sit in the sun and watch the pokemon in the water of a beautiful day, like this one.

Despite the hotel that was located South of the lakefront, Lake Valor wasn't visited all that often by travelers. Lake Acuity was the most popular because the winter gave it a more majestic appearance, and Lake Verity was a more must stop area, for picnics, and meeting other trainers to battle. For the girl there, though, she did not mind that there was no one else...

Here sat a girl with long, mangled, dark crimson hair that went to her waist, with snow white skin, and fiery gold eyes that almost seemed cat-like. She was wearing a dress with a torn, white skirt, a purple torso that was stripped of its high collar, and its long sleeves. Her black cloth shoes were barely held together, and the black cloak she had on was ripped to just above her knees. She had a black bag sitting beside her holding a small arrangement of foods, as well as five pokeballs.

The girl was sitting up against a tree, wrapping bandages around her bare arms, and the torso that was barely staying up as it was. Once done, she held a pack of ice against her swollen ankle. It hurt, sure enough, but there wasn't much she could do but sit back and bare with it. Getting hurt came with the territory of traveling, and with her map gone, getting lost on the routes didn't take too long; she practically walked straight through the thick mountains and woods between Route 214 and Route 209-skipping past both Hearthome and Pastoria, when she wanted to challenge them before the Veilstone gym.

It didn't matter though; Veilstone City was a closer walk than Pastoria, and right now, dropping in town would be her best idea. _"Better get started..."_ She told herself, standing up, and heading towards her new destination.

**- Solaceon Town**

One would expect most visitors in Solaceon to stop and enjoy the beauty there; something that was almost as jaw dropping as the lakes on a beautiful day, and most did...

...just not the trainer we're focusing on.

Here in a beautiful town, where most smiled happily, was the always scowling purplenette, otherwise known as Paul Shinji. He didn't like the weird town he was standing in; he wouldn't even step out of the pokemon center after he restocked. He was staying overnight, then he was heading straight back to Veilstone City. Sure, he had an overbearing older brother to deal with, but he was better than the freaks that he dealt with here; no joking-he preferred Ash and his friends over this.

He decided to get the call with his brother over with. He knew that Reggie liked being informed whenever he hit town, and he'd freak whenever he didn't. The purple-head decided to call the man, simply to let him know he was coming home, and get the stupid older brother shit out of the way...besides, it was the only thing to distract him from the country freaks there.

He called, and didn't even have to wait that long. Paul knew his brother's routine, and knew that this time of day, he'd be inside, taking a break from taking care of the pokemon, and cleaning the house, so it was the best time to call. Even then, Reggie wasn't one to miss a call when he wasn't relaxing, but Paul found it easier when his brother wasn't too busy multitasking.

The screen came alive with an older purplenette, who was smiling happily. "Hi, Paul!" He said, happily. Paul grunted a hey back-not like he talked much, and it wasn't like Reggie didn't understand him, so the habit never changed. "So, what's going on, now?" He asked his younger sibling, waiting patiently for the reply.

And of course, he got an answer, whether Paul wanted to say anything or not. "I'm in Solaceon Town, and I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. It should take me about a week to get home if I don't stop, but I may scope out the pokemon on the way." He stated, dully. It was the only reason he called, nothing more needed to be said, and he didn't socialize with his brother.

Reggie perked up at this, his grin growing. "That's great! I'm guessing that you're preparing yourself for your battle against Maylene." It wasn't a question, and Paul knew that, but he nodded to let his brother know he heard him. "Okay then, I'll make sure your room is ready, and I'll stock up extra for your pokemon." He stated. "You gonna call before you leave?" He questioned his younger brother.

"If I say yes and do it, will you give me less grief when I train?" He asked his elder sibling, remembering the last time he was home, and what he got was anything but in his favor. One experience he didn't want to revisit, and why he didn't go home often.

With a smile from his brother, Paul hung up, and decided to get dinner before heading up to his room.

**- Some Estate on Mt. Coronet**

An elder man silhouetted by the shadows looked down at the two men in robes alongside their Manetrics; their heads bowed down, and their bodies stiff in fear. "You imbeciles! Of course it didn't work! She wouldn't have been able to leave if she didn't gain the strength to get passed an attack plan so basic." The man roared at them, infuriated.

"W-we did manage to get rid of her map, and we already have Electrikes tracking her down!" One stated.

"Y-yes! Don't worry master! We've not failed you yet!" Said the other.

The man glared. "Very well! But I better not hear of any more failures, or so help me, you'll be dead where you stand!" He raged.

"Yes, master!" They said, bowing before making their way out of the room.

Once a good distance away, they stopped and spoke. "That damn girl! She knows better, even if she is the youngest!" The first one stated.

"There's nothing that we can do about what she did, except bring her back; besides, she can't run forever from here, and she knows it."

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><p>short, i know, but i plan on making it interesting! and plz, keep in mind this is my first pokemon fanfic, so no flames, plz!<p> 


	2. Turn of Events

hey, it's me! i c tht this story is liked, so here it is, the continuing chapter-keep in mind tht this is my first pokemon story, and tht i dont own any of the characters except my OCs, and i dont own pokemon, just the plot of this fanfic. ENJOY!

* * *

><p>"Chapter One;<br>Turn of Events"

**- Celestic Town**

Paul Shinji laid down in the bed at the Pokemon Center, thinking over the day's events. He had challenged the champion, Cynthia, to a full battle and lost. If this was how she was while he was training so efficiently, Paul knew that there was no denying that she was strong, and that beating her would be a huge challenge once he got to the Sinnoh League. That meant more training, and a lot less time to kick back (as usual whenever he trains).

The younger Shinji's plan was to head home soon, and see Reggie so that he could breed some of his pokemon for future battles. Despite him being a pain, Reggie was very useful when he had to be and Paul couldn't deny that he'd need his brother's services soon. This thing he intended on telling said older brother before he left the center the next morning; not at all looking forward to asking for it, but thankful he could still use it, seeing as how unlikely it was for him to say no.

He decided to go to sleep, seeing as how there was nothing else to do since his pokemon were out of commission and that going out whenever Ash and co. were in town equaled even more annoyance than what he had to endure for the day, and with a lost battle, he didn't need his mood worsened anymore than it was already.

He turned on his side, and closed his eyes, trying to take his mind off of what he was going to be forced to face the next day.

**- Shinji Residence: The Following Afternoon**

Reggie was just finishing his walk home from the Poke-Mart, having finally gotten done all that had to be for when Paul came home. He was in an especially good mood for earlier that morning, he got a call from him, and although he wasn't in a good mood, the younger purplenette had asked him for help once he got home. Such an occurrence made the man even happier than he was when his brother told him he was coming home; it helped him feel like his brother still needed him, and was glad when he did.

Just as Reggie was about to enter his house, something caught his eye. It was girl, with mangled red hair, tan skin, and many tattered pieces of clothing. She was on her knees; one hand clutching her ankle whilst the other held her stomach; and for what it seemed, she had been there for a little while, and didn't appear well at all.

The elder Shinji put his grocery bags on the porch and rushed to the female's side, kneeling beside her before speaking. "Are you alright?" He questioned her, calmly. When she didn't respond, he began to look her over. Her waist and ankle were covered in bandages; same as other areas of her body. He noted that her clothes were rather dirty, and he noticed that she had small scabs that appeared to have been bite marks, no doubt from a pokemon or two. If that wasn't enough to tell him something was wrong (which it was) she was shaking violently, and she was out of breath.

"Hey, are you okay?" He said a little louder, and a bit uneasy. Not exactly something you run into everyday, so could you blame him?

This time he did get a reaction, but not exactly the one he wanted. The girl gasped, looking up at him with shocked eyes before scrambling back to get out of his reach. "Get away from me!" She shrieked at him, her golden eyes wide and alert of the man in front of her, and not anywhere close to even okay; she was practically covered in bandages, how could she be?

The breeder stood up, trying to get her to calm down long enough for her to understand he wasn't going to hurt her, but the girl was aiming to defend to herself; throwing every attack she could manage. "Please, stop!" He begged of her dodging one of her kicks and trying to get closer; getting a slap to the face as a result...

The girl seemed to stop for a minute, backing up against a tree and trying to catch her breath. Reggie, recovering from the slap and taking in a breath, turned back to the girl, trying to regain some of his calm composure. "I'm not trying to hurt you." He stated, slowly approaching her with his hands up so that she understood, whilst preparing him himself for another attack.

"That's what they all say; why'd you help a girl in the middle of a route, anyways?" She questioned, not the least bit derived of her beliefs.

Once he got the idea, he pointed at his house. "That's where I live; it wasn't hard to see you from the path up ahead." He stated, a bit more calm then he was a few minutes ago. He got the idea that she was probably in a bit of shock from a recent event involving pokemon, so it made sense not to trust a lot of people. "It's not far from the city." He added, in case she wasn't convinced.

She seemed caught off guard by the statement. "Veilstone?" She questioned, her eyebrow perked, and her eyes filled with suspicion. She received a nod from him. The trainer let out a breath of relief, sitting back down and trying to ignore the pain throbbing in her body. "Sorry; I had a rough time getting here, so you could imagine what I ran into." It wasn't a question, but Reggie nodded again.

He came closer to her, extending a hand. "My name is Reggie-Reggie Shinji. What's yours?" He asked, hoping that she'd accept help and not be as stubborn as his younger sibling. Paul was known to be rather bullheaded, especially whenever when he was sick or hurt, so you could imagine that the instinct to ensure the other got well came up quite a bit.

She stared at him for a bit; determining the thought of how he could be trying to deceive her, but found that if he were, it would have been a bit more obvious. So she smiled, extending her arm and taking the elder one's hand. "It's Cecilia-Cecilia Quintos." She replied before allowing the man to help her back up.

Upon standing, Cecilia immediately placed a hand on her waist, and nearly lost her footing, if not for Reggie holding her. If was rather obvious that she was in pain, and the elder male knew that she probably needed to be checked into the Pokemon Center for medical attention, but he knew simply by her recent behavior that she wouldn't want to go. It made him thankful that he volunteered to help during the winter...

Picking her up bridal style, Reggie decided to speak again. "I know you probably don't want to stop traveling, but this is serious so here's your choice; I can either bring you to the center in town, or I could treat you here. Do you have a preference?" He questioned her, giving her an eye that showed enough determination that spelled that he wasn't going to let go of the fact she was hurt.

Cecilia wasn't quick on her decision, but she did answer as to Reggie's prediction. "I'm not going to the Pokemon Center." She stated, short and brief. And just like that, Reggie found himself with a house guest...

**- Later That Night: Route 210**

We return to the younger Shinji male, whom of which wasn't the any happier than he was the night before. He had to try and lose Ash and the others ever since he got off the phone with his older brother. Once he did lose them, he nearly found himself in two ditches and landed in several puddles of mud and other crap that he didn't want to know was in them. _"To think I wasted all that time on doing laundry, just to have this happen."_ He thought, the annoyance not leaving his expression.

He had finished up with drying himself off from the recent spill he took for his walk back to Veilstone. "Stupid mist!" He cursed. Even after using Honchkrow, the mist rolled back in within a matter of less than two hours worth of traveling, and after using the flying pokemon four times in one day, he decided to give up on even trying.

He let out a sigh, getting into his sleeping bag. He only had to wait at least three more days, and then he'd be back in town with his older brother who would probably make him take a few days. Not that he'd mind right about now; true, Paul didn't wanna get off schedule but he was getting a bit aggravated, and the best place to calm down from everything was at his house (not that he'd ever admit it out loud, that is).

The well composed trainer wanted the day to be over with and done, so he decided to skip the evening training, and just go to sleep; more than ready to get out of the misty path as soon as possible.

**- In Between Route 214 and 209**

Electrikes scattered the forest floor as they sniffed around the area. Men were standing by them, awaiting for some form of reaction from the green electric pokemon. All of them seemed tired, and were complaining about the weird scavenger hunt they were stuck on, while others were hoping to get paid overtime for the extra hours they've been putting in.

Suddenly, a helicopter flew overhead, making every one of them-even the pokemon-look up, and see the black metal machine. They cleared an area in the tall grass so as to not get crushed by the giant object. As it landed, the men and pokemon stared in suspense; all wondering what was going to happen, and who it was that was going to come out.

Once it landed, two men with a set Manetrics stepped out of the contraption. Once they were close, the one on the left spoke up. "Progress report: now!" He ordered.

One of them stepped forward. "We were about a quarter of the way in when they started to act weird; we believe that she must have rolled in a represent somewhere back a few meters; we're covering the landscape to find where it could have worn off, or where she'd bathe it off her skin." He replied, solemnly.

"Anything else?" The first person asked again.

Another man stepped forward. "Earlier this week, when of the scouts spotted her outside of Lake Valor, so we'll be covering up the route she's taken once we've scouted through." He told, honestly.

"And what of the scout?" The man to the right questioned.

"Hasn't reported in, sir-we believe he might have taken a chance at capturing her, alone." The same one theorized.

The first groaned. "Find the scout once you're finished in this heap." He ordered, leaving with his friend, and the two blue pokemon by them.

"Yes sir!" And with that, the copter took off.

* * *

><p>finished. i hope u liked it, and for those of you who like Reggie, i am sorry if u didnt enjoy the scene with him and Cecilia, but things like this happen in real life, and im pretty sure tht if u were in her position, ud b acting like tht in front of a stranger too; let's just b glad it was someone like Reggie in this case.<p> 


	3. Submitting to Connecting

"Chapter Two;  
>Submit to Connecting"<p>

**- Veilstone City**

Paul had finally arrived at his hometown, feeling more than ready to take a few days off from the travels then getting ready for a gym battle. Four days of endless travel had finally begun to pay off for the normally scowling teen; the trip back was almost so bad, the thought of greeting his brother with a hug like the elder would try to do with him was actually tempting. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was his exhaustion and to the fact that he didn't need his brother being softer with him than he normally was.

The boy trudged straight to the dirt path that would lead him to his house out in the woods, where he could enjoy some peace for a little while. As he reached the house, he noticed a door sign hanging on the front doorknob. Suspicious of what it read, he went over and picked up the white sign that read: 'Be Back Soon.' Checking the door and realizing that it was locked, Paul knew that he had to go around to the back door in order to enter his own house; it was the only door Reggie kept unlocked whenever he wasn't home.

So, naturally as whenever moments like this occurred, Paul went to the back and climbed over the basic fence that was built to show the boundaries they owned. Once done, he went to the back door; more than prepared to start laundry, get in some fresh clothes, and to let his pokemon go off on there own for a little while so he could do one thing he hadn't done in months; watch TV, and not give a damn about training. It was unusual for him, yes, but he was tired of routine every now and then, and whenever he was, he'd go home and relax there. It only happened once or twice every six months, so he didn't lose a lot of time.

Just as he was about to step inside though, he was forced back and tumbled over with an 'oomph.' He recovered quickly before lifting his head and hearing a low, throaty sound: growling. Paul looked up and saw a huge Houndhoom, slightly larger than regular ones, and it was nowhere near happy to see him. Judging by the position alone, it was ready to fight on the first move the young teenager made.

Now Paul was a fighter, that much everyone knew, but he wasn't stupid enough to verse a Houndoom in the current position; the instant he took out a Pokeball would be the minute he was attacked again, and he could tell that this thing was more than ready to fight. He slowly inched away from it, not losing eye contact with it for a second; the minute you back out of a strong pokemon's sight like Houndoom is the minute they become more threatening, due to the fact they may think you'll cause trouble.

Just then, right as Houndoom was about to leap forward again, a sharp whistle cut through and echoed in the vast area. Paul and the black-and-red-furred pokemon turned their heads to look at the back entrance to the house. Standing in front of the door was none other than Cecilia herself; her red hair cut and put up in a ponytail, and her clothes changed to plain white sneakers, gray sweat pants, a blue t-shirt that matched the shade of Paul's jacket, and a light pink bandanna on her forehead to keep the hair out of her eyes.

Paul took notice of the bandages on her arms that reached under her shirt, and saw her cast on her ankle as well as the crutch underneath her shoulder. The trainer knew immediately that his brother must have averted back to his usual winter volunteer months, which he'd house a few wounded to help out the pokemon center whenever they were over packed with patients. What didn't make sense is why he didn't send this girl to Nurse Joy when she didn't need to stay under their roof, and when their was better treatment for her at said place than his house. For some reason though, he kept his mouth shut; probably because of the dangerous pokemon in front of him.

The female, unaffected by the gazes being shot her way, turned her head to Paul, whom of which got the attention of the dark type pokemon back, which began to glare at him once more, soon baring its teeth. "Houndoom, back off!" She commanded, giving it a scowl of her own; one of which affected the creature enough to retreat behind her, keeping its eyes on the purplenette. "You're Paul, aren't you?" She questioned calmly, her mood a little lightened at the pokemon's obedience. He only nodded. "Yeah, Reggie said you'd be coming; he was just hoping it'd be while he was here." She added, chuckling a little nervously.

She hopped in order to turn around, sliding the door open before looking down at the still suspicious Houndoom. "Hey!" She said, catching its attention. "He's Reggie's brother, we talked about this, remember?" She told it, giving it a serious look that added in a hint of coldness. If Paul were any regular person, he'd be intimidated by this girl, but the fact of the matter was that he wasn't, however she did pike a slight interest. Houndooms were extremely difficult to catch, let alone train, and the fact she had one listening to her under whim must have taken extreme training measures. "Now go play with the others!" She told it, nodding in the direction.

Slowly at first, then reluctantly, the beast left; leaving Paul one final glare as if threatening the boy with hell if something happened. After it left, Paul stood back up, following the girl as she hobbled into his house. "Who are you?" He asked, rather annoyed by her presence. The point of coming home was to get away from the outside world and to confine himself with some form of sanctuary, and with her here, that made it difficult.

She seemed to have only just registered the question before giggling lightly. "Where are my manners? I'm a guest here and you don't even know my name." She exclaimed, feeling a bit pathetic. The red-head turned her head to him, giving him a light smile. "Name's Cecilia Quintos; nice to meet you, Paul!" She said, hobbling the rest of her way inside, and trying to reach the couch in the living room so she wouldn't have to walk.

The trainer followed the injured girl as she rested herself on the couch, and rested her ankle on a pillow set on the coffee table. She looked at him with a casual glance and the questioning hint in his stone cold gaze. Seeing it, she smiled and said: "Why don't you get yourself comfortable? Whatever questions you have for me I'll answer, but I'd like to think you'd wanna relax, first; looks like you deserve it." She stated looking over the scratched up trainer, whom of which look like he'd been to hell and back.

Paul's eyes widened in shock; having forgotten about his dirty clothes, dirt covered shoes, and the few scrapes he had. If Reggie saw him the way he was now, he was gonna hear about it soon, and that was another thing he didn't need piled on his list of things to worry about. Besides, she was injured and couldn't exactly do much, so it wasn't like she could pester him unless she opened her mouth, however she refrained herself as to wait quietly for him to take his leave, and go do what he needed.

Noting this, the trainer took his leave; making his way up the stairs to his bedroom. Said room hadn't changed since he last saw it, much to his liking. As Paul got undressed so he could use the shower next door, he looked over the room he hadn't spent all that much time in since he started his pokemon journey.

Surprisingly, it wasn't really a bland room, in fact it was quite the opposite. The walls were actually a vibrant blue, while the carpet at his feet was white, of all things. To his left was a window right above his desk, which had a couple pencils atop it, as well as a couple photos of Paul's family. To the left of said piece of furniture was a bed with bedsheets designed with green camouflage, while to the right was a bookshelf in the far left corner of the room with books from pokemon facts to folklore and history. There were also thick notebooks that lined the shelves, and from the condition of the pages, you could tell they were rummaged through quite a bit. On the other wall, right next to the door he used to enter, were the glass doors to his closets; which was decorated with welly done paintings of pokemon all over-some that people were very lucky to see, and others he just found fascinating. Next to the closet, in the corner across from the bedroom entrance, was a tall, dark stained wooden dresser with a stuffed pokemon Tediursa on top. The blank wall space between the dresser and the bookshelf was a welly painted mural of all the legendary pokemon Paul had come to learn of, which made it look like the sun was rising on all of them.

Paul smiled; not smirked, but actually smiled. He loved pokemon; he's loved them since he was a kid, and he cared so much about them, that he wanted them to be the strongest they could be, and he would push all efforts to make sure his pokemon got there. Despite the fact he appeared cruel, it was how he learned to train pokemon once he started to travel; like he, his pokemon hid who they really were whenever around others, but in all honesty, they were actually quite different, and they connected on these terms.

He frowned at thinking about some of the pokemon he gave up, like Azumaril and Chimchar. He wanted to keep the both of them, and he didn't want to let them go, but the secrets behind curtain numbers one and two were that Azumaril gave him and his team too much trouble for them to handle even before the gym battle in Orgburgh City. And Chimchar just didn't belong with them. He honestly wanted to cope for the little fire monkey, but the fact was that he knew that doing that wouldn't feel right to his other pokemon, so he released him in front of that Kanto trainer so that there would be somewhere for him to go. Besides, he was pushing himself with Chimchar so much, he'd only bring the poor guy down in the end, and Paul couldn't watch that any longer.

He sighed; it's not something he could admit out loud, but that was the truth, and there was nothing out there that could change the facts, and no force out there that could stop it from making it look like he was the bad guy. In a sense, he was anyways. He pushed his pokemon to there limits, even when they weren't well enough. He did that because they normally wanted to get stronger, but that didn't change the situations with the last two; they were completely different.

Pushing the thoughts aside, and deciding not to make the girl downstairs curious enough as to do something troublesome (like how he'd normally see Dawn do), he put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket before grabbing his towel and robe before making his way to bathroom; more than ready to welcome a nice, hot shower.

Downstairs, while Paul was taking a shower, Cecilia decided to grab the first aid kit on the kitchen counter. She never knew that there would be someone out there that could look worse than she did over her travels. Everyone's been through hell every now and again but Reggie's brother really looked like he had been through some deep shit. Not only was he covered head to toe in dirt, he had numerous scratches, and looked both physically and mentally exhausted; the bags under his eyes and the slight unsteadiness of his footsteps were enough to tell her this. The rest was just a bonus...

She began to think about what Reggie had told her about him. According to the elder brother, his sibling was an intelligent, yet kind trainer. Reggie also stated that Paul had a bit of a strange way of connecting with people, and if they didn't understand that, than he wouldn't continue to try and reach them. This spelled to her that he had a bit of a coping issue, and that if she wanted to be on the trainer's good side, she'd have to learn his strange way of socializing. Considering the fact she was in his home and clearly bothering him with her presence, she knew for fact that it'd be easier said than done.

Speaking of the younger Shinji, said boy just came back down the stairs wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, white socks on his feet, a black tank top, and a towel over his shoulders. When he hit the bottom of the stairs, Paul had grabbed the towel in order to further dry his hair, and he bent over to ensure he didn't miss any of it.

Despite it being a few moments, Cecilia was already looking over her shoulder as Paul came down, and yet again she found herself looking him over; well toned chest, strong arms, round ass. She looked away; deciding that becoming the least bit infatuated with the teen would be a bad idea. Friends was the goal, yeah, but there was no way she could allow herself to become indulged with someone; especially now.

Paul, having finished what he was doing, looked at Cecilia from where she was sitting. "Hey!" He yelled, still not happy that she was there. The girl turned her head, controlling her eyes from wandering the other's body even further. "You still have some explaining to do, so don't get comfy!" He told her, strictly and bitterly.

Cecilia smiled, holding up the first aid kit. "And you still have some injuries to patch up." She stated, a small smirk on her face as she turned away from him. Now of course she didn't want him to hate her, but it didn't mean she couldn't mess with him just a little bit; besides, with his looks, she only wanted to trace her fingers on his chest, just a little bit.

His eyes went wide. "You're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you touch me; you could try and rape me for all I know!" He exaggerated, repressing the heat that was slowly rising to his cheeks.

_"Tempting."_ She thought as the smirk disappeared. The red-head turned back to him, her face pouting, and her tone of her voice altered to sound sweet yet obviously mocking him. "What? Is a big, strong guy like you afraid of a little girl, like me?" She questioned, innocently; eyes sparkling as she stared at him. This time the color did rise to his face, but it didn't stick long once he heard her chuckle. "Besides, Reggie's gonna be home in less than a half hour, and you're hurt, still. Who'd you rather deal with for that; me or him?" She questioned, casually.

Paul shut up, debating the consequences. He knew that she was injured, so if she tried anything, he'd have the advantage. She was being surprisingly laid back about the matter, where as his brother would freak out, and considering the fact she was a girl, it was a bit of a difference. The only thing stopping him was his own bitterness from the long road home and the fact he didn't know a thing about her.

He sighed, yet again. "Fine; but if you try anything, I'm reining hell on you." She nodded at him, patting the spot next to her for him to sit down while she worked. He took his seat on the sofa, reluctantly removing his top and allowing the girl beside him to treat his injuries. Cecilia found herself a bit surprised as she began to treat the wounds with ointment. They weren't that big, but Paul had quite a few deep cuts, which were stinging red due to the fact they were left untreated (making him much more irritated by the contact). To add to that, Paul also had quite a few scars on him that she could only help but be concerned about.

Paul was conscious of her staring, and knew full well that she was concerned about it; everyone was whenever they first took notice of the scars on his body. After registering it, he was still, rigid, and silent; waiting for her to ask the same questions that everybody else had asked him whenever they'd first see them. He was always more self conscious of them whenever others saw them, but there was no changing that now, so he tried to cope with it.

Strangely enough, she only patched up his injuries, and didn't show any sign of being bothered. She sat there, working in silence as she finished patching him up. Even when she finished with the ones placed on his face; even with the suspenseful, somewhat horrifying stare that came from Paul's own two eyes; she only handed him back his tank top, leaving him dumbfounded. "What?" She asked, noticing the confusion in his eyes.

Paul, quiet at first, opened his mouth; trying to find the right words to say before speaking. "You...you didn't say anything..." He replied, still in complete shock.

Cecilia arched a brow. "Okay..." She trailed off, a bit confused herself and acting as if it wasn't a big deal.

He only found himself more stunned. "Why didn't you?" He questioned her, his voice a bit softer than it was before.

She looked at him with the same expression her previous tone brought out. "Coming from the guy who was glaring at me a few minutes ago, I thought that would obvious." She told him, plainly.

He shook his head. "Even then," he told her, "every person that's seen that has asked the same questions each time; why not you?" He questioned her, frustrated. He had every reason to be caught off guard about all of this; he's never met anybody who acted like this before.

Cecilia sighed. "We all have scars." She stated, grabbing Paul's attention and getting him to look at her saddened features. "To be asked how we got them, to be asked if there was something to be done, to hear it'll be okay; all of these things, despite how meaningful they may be, feels like you're getting stabbed in the heart, and that pain resurfaces just as immensely as before, even with the wounds healed physically." She added, looking at him with a more calm expression. "People say it gets better in time, but that time can't heal the fractured past, it can only treat it; even then, some don't make it out of it. That's why, Paul."

Paul, stunned by the girl's response, began to recompose himself. Granted he was still confused as to her behavior, he was thankful for it; a girl who knew how tired he was of hearing it wasn't exactly common, so he moved onto what he was doing originally-questioning her. "What the hell happened to make my brother open up the house to you?" He questioned.

Cecilia wasn't surprised by the question, but the fact was that she didn't believe it the best idea to tell him just how exactly she met up with his brother; that was going to take too much explaining that he didn't need to know about. "I was heading south on Route 209; the plan was to head to Pastoria before heading here to Veilstone." Paul nodded, understanding the idea. "However, I didn't get the best luck; a couple trainers thought it'd be funny to tear up my map, and another joker lead me down a closed route that cuts straight through a forest and onto Route 214."

"Well that was stupid." He stated.

She glared at him. "No shit, Sherlock!" She shot at him, playfully. Paul smirked a victory as she faced the wall, hitting her head against the back of his couch. "Last time I take directions." She muttered under her breath. This made him laugh; just a little, but laugh still. "Anyways, luck only got worse when I ran into all sorts of pokemon, as well as a few trainers with attitude problems; they attacked me with every ounce of strength they had. If not for the guys, then I'd be in some trouble." She half lied; there was no way she was telling him about them.

Paul nodded. "So, then what? You stumbled out, then made your way to Veilstone instead?" He questioned.

"At the nick of barely; I found Lake Valor, and by distance, Veilstone was less of a walk which meant I could resupply and move on. Because of what happened, I barely got near your residence; if not for Reggie seeing me, I'd be in some heap down at the center." She stated before looking at him. "Your brother gave me a choice, here or the Center in town, and I'm not one to go behind schedule." She added.

Paul nodded, understanding the concept. Dealing with his brother helping over the Pokemon Center was normally the better choice, in his opinion. At least that way he only had one person to be worried over his treatment, and knew that said person would leave him alone when he needed it. "So, the plan is now to get Veilstone out of the way and head south, but Reggie's been so persistent on my injuries, he won't even let me train my pokemon so they're ready for Maylene, and it's been like that for the past few days." She finished.

Again nodding, understanding his brother's antics considering how she was patched up, he put on his shirt, and yet again, began to shoot up questions. "And just what exactly do you plan on doing with your pokemon; become the champion?" He questioned; competition was something to keep an eye on, and if she was competing, he knew by her Houndoom's behavior towards her that he had to keep his eyes open.

She chuckled. "Well, it'd be nice, don't get me wrong, but my dream is a bit different; I wanna be a Mistress of Darkness. Basically speaks for itself; I want my Dark pokemon to be on top of the others." She replied, smiling. "In order to do that, I'm going to enter my pokemon in every challenge I can find and show my competitors how superior they are to theirs." She explained happily, before looking forward. "It's the reason I caught Houndoom; I normally tend to want pokemon who want me, but you don't get to be the best unless you take on a few challenges, and he was definitely one of them." She added.

Paul smirked at this. That was a fact he couldn't help but comply to; most of his pokemon were challenges, whether it was getting them to listen to him, or getting them able to cope to his style. Most, if not, all pokemon were like that, and Houndoom was just one of those pokemon that's boasted with pride, so the concept was understandable. "Looks like it didn't make that much a difference."

She looked at him as if he were a maniac. "You're not the one who had to train it; it took months just for the thing to stop pouncing me!" Paul laughed again; he couldn't help but imagine the girl's dilemma with the pokemon when she had first gotten it, and considering its reaction to his presence, it made sense. That, and the fact the picture he got in his head was just too damn hilarious.

The girl's cheeks blushed red, not believing that she was sharing all of this with him, but figured it for the better; she preferred his smile over his glare, any day. Even still, she felt a bit embarrassed; she never got so many chances to socialize with people, so trying felt a bit awkward to her, despite how casual she forced herself to act.

Paul ceased his guffaw, looking at Cecilia with a small smile, eyes mixed with enjoyment and slight disbelief. "You know, you're a lot different than the other girls I've met; they're normally yelling at me, and shooting me glares right about now." He commented, letting out a chuckle.

She giggled. "Yeah, well I don't believe that just because I'm a girl means I need to act offended that quickly; besides, the shit you were giving me isn't something I haven't seen, and I've had worse to deal with." She told him, truthfully. "That and the fact I don't typically judge people until I spend a bit of time with 'em." She added, smiling at him.

Paul sat back against the couch, putting his hands behind his head. _Maybe having her around wouldn't be so bad..._


	4. Training Sessions (Part One)

"Chapter Three;  
>Training Sessions"<p>

It had been a few days since Paul had met Cecilia, and surprisingly, they were enjoying themselves. It was strange, but she somehow she understood the younger purplenette better than others did. This Paul couldn't help but find comforting. It had been a long time since he could say that about...pretty much anyone.

Paul waited outside the guest room where she had been staying; waiting for his brother to be finished changing her bandages. He was crossing his fingers in hopes that today, Reggie would let her start training her pokemon. Paul had started up training the day before and he wanted to see what her pokemon could do. A three-on-three would be enough, and he was so curious about her battle style; being a Mistress of Darkness had to have some form of difficulty, and he was oh so curious how she would make it passed Maylene; she had fighting type pokemon, so that was going to be a challenge.

Reggie walked out with Cecilia; whom of which had her brace removed, but still had on some of her other bandages. Smiling, the elder Shinji stated: "Since you can walk without crutches, I suppose I can't stop you from training today." This made the two younger teens let out a victory cheer; high-fiving each other out of excitement. "But," He started, obtaining their attention once more, "due to the fact you're still injured, I'm going to be supervising you, and you're going to stay within sight of the house." He told her.

Cecilia shrugged. "I'll deal as long as I can give the guys their exercise; some of 'em have been getting cranky without it." She stated, looking Paul's way when she said this. He assumed that Houndoom was included in this matter, so it made sense as to why he was up his ass the past few days. The fire dog had made it his business to be standing by the doorway each morning; pouncing Paul at every chance he got. It wasn't until last night that Cecilia told Houndoom to keep her company.

Heading down the steps, Houndoom had been waiting; glaring daggers at the purple-haired trainer. "Come on, grab the guys; we've got training to do." She instructed him, hips swayed to the left with her hands on them. Nodding, the pokemon headed out for the backyard; a sudden kick in his step. Once she saw that, she turned back to Paul. "What do ya say Paul? I meet your gang, you meet mine?" She offered, giving him a wink. He only nodded.

They headed out to the field and kept it going until Reggie said that she couldn't go any farther. Once that was done, Cecilia had suggested: "Since Houndoom's going to be awhile gathering everyone, why don't you let your pokemon out first?"

Paul nodded once again. "Sure thing." He told her, digging into his pockets and taking out six pokeballs. Releasing them, the red head watched as each one came out. Torterra, Magmar, Honchcrow, Electabuzz, Weavile and Ursaring. "We're going to do extra training today; we'll also be able to get a battle in, unless you think that's too much." He said, turning back to his brother.

Reggie shook his head. "A three-on-three is fine with me." He informed them. This in return made both trainers smile.

Cecilia smiled, walking up to Weavile and petting his head. "I've gotta say Paul, these guys seem like quite the champions." She stated, receiving a nudge from the dark pokemon before her.

Paul chuckled. "I'd hope so; all six of them have been pushing themselves so they can make it to the top." He informed her.

She smiled. "So I bet." Just then, a bark came round, making the group perk up, and turning Cecilia's smile turned into a smirk. "Looks like Houndoom's back with the guys." She informed them. And true to her word, Houndoom came; carrying an Eevee on his back. Hopping down from a tree came a Nuzleaf who was followed by a Sableye then a Sneasel. Finally, coming out of the bushes was an Absol with a red main and golden eyes.

Paul looked at them, rather impressed with her collection. Eevees were rather easy to attract to you, as were Nuzleafs, if one's stubborn enough. However, he knew from experience that capturing a Sneasel was difficult; especially if you find them in their icy habitat. Sableyes were found in dark caves with crystals and were very elusive pokemon; catching one was damn near impossible, simply because they normally don't stick around for long when trainers walk by. An Absol was even more elusive, and were incredibly smart and strong. How she caught a red one, he'd never know.

Cecilia let out a chuckle. "I'm surprised you joined the party, Notorious." She exclaimed, looking down at her pokemon.

"Sol." The Absol huffed, sitting down with his eyes closed and a raw smirk on his face.

"Notorious?" Reggie questioned, eyebrow perked with curiosity.

She turned back with a smile. "Well, when I caught him, he just hated being called Absol because there are so many. So, I tried to think of a name that would suit him. Notorious came up, and it stuck." She explained, petting her Absol's head. Notorious just nudged his head into her hand, his grin growing some. "What do you guys think," she questioned her pokemon, "you wanna do some three-on-three action?" She asked them.

All six of her pokemon cheered enthusiastically while Paul's smirked. This was going to be interesting...

Taking their positions opposing each other, the twelve pokemon waited behind their trainers so they could be called out; no point in being put back into their pokeballs when all twelve were seen. "I'll say it now," Paul started, a smirk on his face, "I'm not good at losing, so keep your guard up." This made his pokemon laugh.

Cecilia rolled her eyes. "What a gentleman." She stated, sarcastically. This earned her snickers from around the crowd. "And just so you know, Paul," she started, getting the trainer to look at her, "I'm not good at losing either, but thank you for being so considerate." She told him, her voice pounded with confidence. She didn't falter all too easily, and she wasn't afraid of versing anyone; just another thing Paul liked about her.

Reggie took the referee's position towards the center of the field. "Well, you two know the rules; each trainer will be allowed three pokemon and may exchange them throughout the battle. When a trainer has all of their pokemon defeated, the opponent is then declared the winner. Now, choose your pokemon!"

Paul smirked, looking back on his pokemon. "Electabuzz, let's go!" He ordered. The yellow pokemon cheered before taking his position on the battle field.

Cecilia smirked. "Alright then," she looked back at the others, "Come on, Houndoom!" She called. The dog entered the field; a subtle glare resting on its features as he awaited for his trainer to make a battle command. It wasn't surprising that she chose Houndoom to battle, but her Sneasel would have been a better choice for fighting Electabuzz.

"Battle Begin!" Reggie shouted.

"Electabuzz, Thunder Shock!"

* * *

><p>Short, I know, but I really<em> need<em> someone to help me out here. I can't guarantee an update unless there's a beta out there that knows pokemon. I'm searching, don't worry, but I can't get started on the next chapter until then.


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